Frankel Confident That Aptitude Will Pass Belmont Test

Belmont Park officials might have been rattled by the loss of Preakness winner Red Bullet for the Belmont Stakes on June 10, and they might be squirming about whether Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus is going to run, but Bobby Frankel is unconcerned about both horses.

“It didn’t make any difference to me that Red Bullet came out,” said Frankel, trainer of Kentucky Derby runner-up Aptitude. “And if Fusaichi Pegasus doesn’t run, that makes my horse the favorite. I might not be too far off Fusaichi Pegasus [in the odds] even if he does run.”

After winning the Kentucky Derby and running second to Red Bullet in the Preakness, Fusaichi Pegasus is back at Aqueduct, where he laid the groundwork for Churchill Downs by winning the Wood Memorial three weeks before the Derby. Trainer Neil Drysdale plans to van his colt the seven miles to Belmont Park early next week.

“He lost some weight running in the Derby and the Preakness,” Drysdale said. “He’s gained some of it back, but I just want to make sure he’s all right. The Belmont is the race we’re pointing for.”

Meanwhile, Frankel continues to train Aptitude at Hollywood Park. Aptitude has won only one of six starts--a maiden race at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day--but in the Wood he closed well to finish third behind Fusaichi Pegasus and Red Bullet. He was 1 1/2 lengths behind Fusaichi Pegasus in the Derby.

Immediately after the Derby, Frankel planned to keep Aptitude out of the Preakness. Red Bullet, who skipped the Derby, beat Fusaichi Pegasus in the Preakness, and Aptitude will be the fresh horse in the Belmont. “I think missing the Preakness gives us a big edge,” Frankel said. “All the horses lose weight in the Derby, and my horse has gained his back. I didn’t want to jeopardize my chances in the Belmont by running in the Preakness.”

The maiden win at Santa Anita was Aptitude’s first race on dirt. He ran in two grass races as a 2-year-old, finishing sixth and second.

“The first time he ran on dirt, I started to get the [Triple Crown] fever,” Frankel said. “We ran in the Derby, but the Belmont is the race we’ve always been planning for. It’s a mile and a half, but my horse has never been tired in any of his races. And he’s got the pedigree to get the Belmont distance.”

A.P. Indy, the sire of Aptitude, was trained by Drysdale when he won the 1992 Belmont. Both A.P. Indy and Drysdale were elected into the Racing Hall of Fame this year; a win by Aptitude in this year’s Belmont would be one of the biggest ironies in Triple Crown history.